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STORY: UGANDA / GIRLS EDUCATION CLUB
TRT: 2:29
SOURCE: UNICEF
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 1 NOVEMBER 2009, KYENJOJO DISTRICT, UGANDA
1. Med shot, row of children seated at desk
2. Close up, girl at desk
3. Med shot, teacher writing on chalk board
4. Close up, girl at desk
5. Wide shot, bike leaning against tree
6. Close up, face of girl sitting on grass
7. Close up, sign reading "Stay in School"
8. SOUNDBITE (English), Peace Margret Atwooki, 14 years old:
"When my friend told me to come back, I went back and thought and I asked myself, 'Should I go back or should I continue working?' And I realized that my parents are not there, so I say let me go and study and maybe in the future I become an important person, not being a house girl, and I had to come back."
9. Wide shot, sign
10. Med shot, bamboo shelter
11. Close up, sign reading "Girls Changing Place"
12. Med shot, six girls standing outside
13. Close up, face of girl standing outside
14. Med shot, girl sitting in chair, studying
15. Med shot, students standing behind bamboo pole
16. Wide shot, boy watching another boy break rock with hammer
17. Wide shot, children gathered on muddy ground
18. Close up, boy in red sweater
19. Med shot, female teacher standing next to two boys outside
20. Wide shot, girls playing by sign
21. SOUNDBITE (English), Mugenyi Mary Cleophas, Head Teacher, Nyakasanyi Primary School:
"With the guidance and assistance of UNICEF, we have managed to bring back 54 children since 2007. They have now returned to school."
22. Close up, notebook and pen on desk
23. Med shot, three children seated at desk
24. Med shot, large plant
25. Close up, large plant
26. Med shot, back of girl at desk; teacher writing on blackboard
27. Close up, face of student in the middle of other students
28. Wide shot, classroom full of students at desks
29. Close up, face of student
30. SOUNDBITE (English), Peace Margret Atwooki, 14 years old: "For me, I'm very happy because now I'm in school. And I'm proud because I'm going to complete my primary seven, joining secondary level.
31. Wide shot, girl reading from book in front of students seated outside
32. Med shot, girl reading from book
33. Close up, face of student standing outside
34. Med shot, sign
Peace Margaret Atwooki is back in school after a four-year absence.
In an area of Uganda where it's not uncommon to lose parents to AIDS and other diseases, she lost both. Short of money, she dropped out of school and worked as a house girl. But then a friend who was part of a club encouraged Peace Margaret to return to the classroom.
SOUNDBITE (English), Peace Margret Atwooki, 14 years old
"When my friend told me to come back, I went back and thought and I asked myself, 'Should I go back or should I continue working?' And I realized that my parents are not there, so I say let me go and study and maybe in the future I become an important person, not being a house girl, and I had to come back."
The club is part of the Girls' Education Movement (GEM), which was started in Uganda in 2001, with support from UNICEF. It now has active chapters across sub-Saharan Africa, all with the same goal: make sure that children have the support they need to stay in school.
The challenge is formidable in Uganda, where census data reveals that more than 700,000 children from age six to 12 have never attended school. And roughly two out of three children enrolled in primary school fail to complete their full primary education cycle.
The head teacher at Peace Margaret's school says the GEM clubs are significantly improving the situation in their community.
SOUNDBITE (English), Mugenyi Mary Cleophas, Head Teacher, Nyakasanyi Primary School:
"With the guidance and assistance of UNICEF, we have managed to bring back 54 children since 2007. They have now returned to school."
The GEM club here helps provide needy students with notebooks and pens, as well as school uniforms. Part of the money is generated by the students themselves, who manage a garden and sell the crops.
The school has also implemented a strict record-keeping system that alerts teachers to patterns of absenteeism before it’s too late.
SOUNDBITE (English), Peace Margret Atwooki, 14 years old:
"For me, I'm very happy because now I'm in school. And I'm proud because I'm going to complete my primary seven, joining secondary level.”
All of these efforts to make universal primary education work could pay great dividends for the future.
